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Engineering proposes multi-year sidewalk push around Dakota Wesleyan, First Street and schools; council to pick priorities
Summary
Engineering project supervisor Terry Johnson proposed restarting a multi-year sidewalk program focused on the Wesleyan area, First Street and school/park connections. He outlined assessment rules, estimated costs of $6'$8 per square foot and recommended a phased approach with notices to property owners.
Terry Johnson, engineering project supervisor for the city of Mitchell, told the council the city should restart a multi-year sidewalk program focused on pedestrian access to parks, schools and neighborhoods west of Dakota Wesleyan.
Johnson said the city's sidewalk strategy is tied to ADA requirements and prior phasing work. He identified priority corridors including Minnesota Street (from the Wesleyan area down to Norway), sections of First Street toward new development near Tiger and Wild Oak, the neighborhood north of the high school ("the Horseshoe") and several infill areas where sidewalks were previously required but never installed.
Johnson said the city typically handles driveway transitions and sprinkler repairs while property owners pay for the five-foot sidewalk sections; if the council orders an assessment project, property owners can pay bills in the second year without interest or let the cost go on taxes for five years at 8% interest. Current order-of-magnitude construction costs are about $6 to $8 per square foot, with contractor availability noted as a limiting factor.
Council members discussed an approach that combines filling gaps where most neighbors already have sidewalks with a defined phased project so contractors can bid efficiently. They asked staff to send notice letters to property owners who previously were required to install sidewalks but did not. Several councilors said providing a public timeline helped homeowners plan and could reduce surprise objections at hearings.
Johnson also described coordination with planned South Dakota Department of Transportation work that will add sidewalks and bike-trail connections along the bypass and near commercial stretches; staff said the DOT projects create opportunities for connected pedestrian routes.
Next steps: staff asked council to identify which areas to prioritize and said they would prepare a three-year cost estimate and a project schedule. Council members and staff planned a site bus tour to review candidate areas.
"When I started, it [sidewalk construction] was about $3 a square foot," Johnson said, adding current estimates are "6 to $8 a square foot" and that contractor availability can affect how much area is completed in a single year.
